My name is Mark Maiewski. Have you ever wondered how you’re going to pay for college? If not, you should. And you shouldn’t wait until your son or daughter is well into high school to do so.

College doesn’t have to be a dream for American students, even though the maze of paperwork required to obtain financial aid is a reality pupils and their parents would gladly avoid. One of the greatest fallacies of the process of obtaining a college degree is that students and/or their parents have to practically go broke in order to realize that goal.

Our resourceful team at CollegeFundingAdvisors.net aren’t magicians, but they can help you navigate the jungle of admissions forms, financial aid forms and loan applications to make a daunting process much easier. Surprisingly, they can also help save you money – in fact, they can show you how to attend an accredited four-year private college for less money than what some students spend to attend public state college.

There are all sorts of financial aid packages available to worthy students – government aid, federal programs, scholarships, grants, etc. These financial aid options aren’t just limited to small schools or unpopular programs, either – they can help students attend the colleges and universities where they want to learn, and to study the programs that will lead to steady, well-paying careers.

So how do students and/or their parents avail themselves of these programs?

First of all, take a step back. Applying for aid can be an intimidating process, full of unusual acronyms like FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and EFC (Expected Family Contribution), hard-to-understand formulas that calculate how much families can contribute to a student’s tuition and application after application that must be filled out without mistakes. One error, and you’re back to the drawing board.

It’s such a challenging routine, that many students and parents give up – which is the wrong thing to do. Let my team at CollegeFundingAdvisors.net take the guesswork out of each step in the process. By allowing skilled professionals to facilitate and advocate for you, you’ll be maximizing your ability to reach the goals you’ve established for yourself.

Our CollegeFundingAdvisors.net crew knows the ins and outs because it’s what they do on a daily basis. They don’t ramp up their marketing campaigns for a few months each year, preying on unsuspecting consumers by not delivering on promises made. They craft a plan tailored to individual students, helping each one reach his or her educational objectives while making it affordable for everyone.

Whether you’re setting your sights on a two- or four-year course of study, a trade school, community college or graduate school, you can benefit by the resourcefulness of professionals whose only objective is to help you reach yours. You won’t get unrealistic timetables, undecipherable calculations or doubletalk; what the team at CollegeFundingAdvisors.net will deliver is honest, effective communication sprinkled with the kind of advice only a trusted, reputable business can provide.

What kind of information do Mark Maiewski and CollegeFundingAdvisors.net provide? Well, because each student’s wants and needs are different, it’s difficult to make a broad-brush statement that’s applicable to each case. We can help show you:

• How to qualify for financial aid even if your income is over $100,000.
• How to send your student to an expensive private college for less than a state school.
• How to be first in line when money for college is given out.
• How to pay for college without depending on financial aid.
• How to evaluate your student’s skills to not only take the right standardized test, but watch the scores jump 100 points or more.
• How to pay for 75 percent of college expenses without spending any more money than you are spending now.
• How to work with school counselors to get all paperwork filed before most students even start applying.
• How make sure your student has received all the money they are entitled to.
• How to fit paying for college into your long-range financial plans.
• How to overcome the tremendous odds of your student not finishing college in four years.

The key to avoiding the most common mistakes is to start planning NOW. Don’t wait, don’t incorrectly assume that all options will be possibilities, and don’t sell your student short. In fact, wipe away all your preconceived notions about the financial aid application process, because a clean slate will help you better maximize your opportunities to qualify for and receive aid.

Remember, this is a process that involves multiple parties, and your plan of attack may need to change from time to time. By making your student part of the planning and execution process, you’ll be helping them get that college education off on the right foot – making them an active participant ensures that they understand the immense value of this joint parent-child endeavor, and better positions them to succeed in their studies.

If you’re not going to do the research yourself, then seek assistance from someone who can walk you through each one of these land mines.

Don’t seek assistance from your brother-in-law whose kids went to school 10 years ago, or your friend who didn’t file financial aid forms and borrowed the maximum parent loan each year and will be paying for the next 15 years.

Do you realize that after buying your house, paying for college will be the second biggest investment of your life? Now, with tens of thousands of dollars riding on this, do you really want to open yourself to making just one of these mistakes? Of course, you don’t. Trust the experts. Trust Mark Maiewski and CollegeFundingAdvisors.net and let their expertise work for you!

Glossary of Terms

ACADEMIC COMPETITIVENESS GRANT: Free money offered by the Federal government based on a family’s EFC and the student’s high school academic abilities.

COST OF ATTENDANCE: Tuition, fees, room, meals, travel, books and supplies, personal expenses. This number is usually defined by the college or university.

EXPECTED FAMILY CONTRIBUTION (EFC FORECAST): Amount a family is expected to pay towards a student’s education. This amount is calculated by the Department of Education determined by a formula that includes income and assets.

FAFSA: Free Application For Student Aid. This form must be filed either online or by mail to be eligible for any government aid.

FEDERAL WORK-STUDY: A job offered by the college either on or off campus paying at least current minimum wage. These earnings are not counted as income for the FAFSA, but will be counted as income for tax purposes. The student cannot earn more than $300 above their awarded amount. This money can be used for personal expenses. This money will NOT be used to off-set any payments owed to the college or university.

NEED: Cost of attendance less the family contribution.

PELL GRANT: Free money offered by the Federal government based on a family’s EFC.

PERKINS LOAN: Loan money guaranteed by the Federal government with low rates (check for current loan rates). No payments need to be made until 9 months after the student is no longer enrolled in school at least half-time. Full repayment must be done on 10 years. Additional fees may be associated with you loan. Loan limits apply.

PIN: Personal identification number applied for by both student and one parent. This number is used to sign the online FAFSA application.

PLUS LOANS: Parent loans for undergraduate students. Loans offered by the Federal government to parents of undergraduate students. Payments start 60 days after the money is disbursed. Check for current interest rates. Parents must pass a credit check. Loan limits apply.

PROFILE: Another form administered by the Collegeboard that certain universities, colleges, and scholarships use to collect additional financial information that will give a more complete picture of a family’s ability to contribute to their student’s college costs.

SAR: Student Aid Report. The report generated by the Department of Education that states the EFC.

STAFFORD LOAN: This loan comes in two varieties based on the family’s EFC. Subsidized means the government will pay the interest generated by the loan while the student is enrolled at least half-time. Unsubsidized means the interest generated while the student is enrolled at least half-time is added to the amount owed. Payments must begin 6 months after the student is no longer enrolled at least part-time. Additional fees may be associated with your loan. Loan limits apply.

VGAP: Virginia guaranteed assistance program is free money from the state of Virginia for public institutions that is based the family’s EFC and residency status.

VTAG: Virginia tuition assistance grant is free money from the state of Virginia available to Virginia residents attending a private institution in the state of Virginia.